Thread tensioner and lubricator



April 14, 1931. 5 HElLWElL 1,800,253

THREAD TENSIONER AND LUBRICATOR Filed May 23, 1927 E1 M3 35 39 /9 0 36 4 2'0 3 5 35 /Z7 f III I 36 Z5 4 A OR BY I ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 14, 1931 Unrrso STATES PATENT OFFICE SAMUEL HEILVEIL, 0F NEV] YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO FREDERICK WESTPHAL & BBQ, 0 NEW YORK, N. Y., A COPAETHERSHIP CONSISTING, 0F HENRY WES'IPHAL, FREDERICK WESTPHAL, AND HENRY WESTPHAL, J E.

THREAD TEIISIONEE Application filed May 23, 1927.

This invention relates to methods of sewing fur, fur parts, fur pieces or the like and apparatus therefor.

VJhere I have attempted to stitch together or sew fur pelts or fur pieces, maintaining the hide thereof dry, the stitching or sewing operation involves loss attendant to brittleness of the hide or breakage of the thread or the hide when the hide is of substantial thickness. To overcome such difiiculties, sewing or stitching of the pelts or pelt parts by maintaining the hide supple by wetting while in part has served to solve the problem above outlined, still the wetting operation serves to redissolve the mineral salts or tanning agents and the thread used in the sewing operation is adversely affected, causing rotting or deterioration in strength by these dissolved mineral salts or tanning agents. here I have attempted to wax the thread used for the sewing of fur pelts or fur parts, not only is this process cumbersome in the application of the wax to the thread, butthe wax so applied is not sufficiently adherent to overcome the problems of stitching and resistance to deterioration, and is still further undesirable by reason of its tendency to pile portions of the wax at the point where the needle pierces the fur pelt.

My invention therefore has for an object thereof the provision of a method for sewing fur, fur pelts and fur pieces, maintaining the hide of the pelt sufilciently moist to render the same supple for stitching operations without breakage of the hide'at the point where the needle pierces the same by treating the thread immediately prior to the stitching operation with an ingredient which is resistant to the deleterious agent included by wetted fur. My invention contemplates the sewing or stitching of fur, fur pelts or fur parts by moistening the thread used for this purpose with a normally fluidlubricating oil, such as a petroleum base oil or a substantially water white machine oil. My invention still further has for an object thereof the provision of a method for sewing fur, fur pelts or fur parts either by maintaining the pelts or the hides substantially dry or softened by moistening, the method being AND LUBRICATOR Serial No. 193,445.

characterized by avoiding breakage of the fur pelt or hide or the thread used for stitching or sewing by applying or impregnating the thread with a normally fluid lubricant.

My invention still further has for an object thereof the provision of a sewing or stitching appaatus for fur, fur pelts or pelt parts whereby such fabric may be stitched or sewed in a dry condition or moistened to maintain the parts supple, the apparatus bein characterized by a lubricant or mineral oil applicator for the thread there-of, serving simultaneously as a tensioning device for the proper feeding of the stitching apparatus. The invention contemplates a stitching or sewing machine having tensioning means for the thread thereof, said tensioning means including a wick applicator and a lubricant or mineral oil reservoir for maintaining said wick applicator moistened whereby as the thread is fed for the sewing operation, it is maintained in proper tension for this purpose and'at the same time has applied thereto by impregnation or coating, a suflicicnt quantity of a lubricant, such as normally fluid lubricating or machine oil of the petroleum base type. The tensioning device includes a wick applicator and pressure member and a reservoir for the lubricant where by the wick member may be maintained moistened, serving to apply pressure to a thread in the sewing operation.

My invention generally has for an object thereof the provision of a process for sewing, stitching or otherwise combining fur pelts or fur parts and apparatus therefor characterized by economy in production due to speed of operation and simplicity of construction of the apparatus.

To attain these objects and such further objects as may appear herein or be hereinafter pointed out, I make reference to the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, in which Figure l is a perspective view of a fur sewing machine including my device;

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail of an element taken in section;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the elements shown in Figure 2 with the parts disassembled and broken away to show the interior;

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail, partly in section, of another embodiment of my invention; 7

Figure 5 is a section taken on a line 5 5 of Figure 4.

In the practice of my invention fur pelts,

parts thereof or the hide, when pieced to-.

, the thread moistened with the lubricant of the character above described, the mineral salts, tanning agents or depilato-ries present in the fur, skin or hide will not penetrate the thread due to their partially. dissolved condition. A fur, pelt, skin or hide sewed in accordance with the method above described would not only have the minimum amount of breakage at the edge of the fur,

skin or hide in the piercing operation, as the fur, skin or hlde 1s mamtamed supple by the molstening operation,-but the ingredients of the fur, skin or hide, whether a mineral salt, tanning agent or depilatory, will not weaken the thread nor cause the same to rot or doteriorate.

Though I have described my method of sewing fur as preferably carriedout by moistening the fur to maintain the same supple by the method described wherein the thread used for the sewing operation is coated or impregnated with the lubricant, I may sew the fur, skin or hide substantially dry without breakage at the edge of the fabric in the piercing of the needle and the thread therethrough, the lubricant moistened thread serving to facilitate the piercing operation,

" rendering the fabric adjacent the orifice through which the needle and the thread pass sufliciently supple to prevent breakage'of the fabric. 7

In Figure 1 I have shown a fur sewing machine 10 having flat overlook stitching nechanism generally referred to at 11, which has been found most suitable for sewing pelts or portions thereof. A needle guide 12 hasfed the-rethrough the thread 13 which is drawn through tensioning members 14. The tensioning members may be the conventional pressure plates 15 mounted upon the lug 16. This pressure device may be used in association with an additional thread pressure member and lubricant applicator referred to generally at 17. The thread tensioning and lubricant applicator is clearly shown in Figures 2 and 3 and comprises. a. reservoir or chamber 18 of box like construction adapted to be attached to the body of the sewing ma chine by the lugs 19 and screw members 20. Within the reservoir there is first inserted an absorbent material such as a layer of felt 21. The thickness of this layer is preferably up to the level of the diametrically disposed orilices 22, 23,'disposed in the walls 24, respectively of the receptacle. Over the layer of felt 2'1 and through the orifices 22 and 23 I first pass an endless guide thread 26 for purposes which will be apparent as its description proceeds. Immediately overlying the absorbent felt layer 21, there is preferably additionally positioned a pressure layer of absorbent material 27. V This layer may also be felt or similar absorbent fabric. I then apply a pressure plate 28 in overlyingv position upon the absorbent fabric 27. A cover member 29 is formed with downwardly disposed ears 30, pivotally connecting the cover to the reservoir by pins 31, engaging the side walls 33,34. The opposite end of the cover member may bev maintained in position by the substantially U-shaped strap. 36,

' having downwardly disposed ears 37, 38, pivotally connected to the side walls 33 and 34 by pins 39, 39, one in each of the ears 37 and 38. Thus, it will be observed that the cover member 29may be held in the closed position by the strap 36 when in position as shown in Figure 2, or the cover member may be dis-- posed in the open position as shown in Figure 3 by rotating the strap about the pins 39 over the end 35 of the. cover.

'lfor purposes of applying pressure upon the absorbent material within the reservoir 18, suitable tensioning means may be provided. it is preferred, however, to provide a set screw 40, screw threaded substantially centrally in the cover 29, so as to feed the end 41 upon the pressure plate 28. The opposite end of the set screw may be provided with a knurled nut 42 to facilitate the turning thereof.

In use, the reservoir 18 is partially filled with a lubricant of the character above described to thoroughly saturate the felt 27. These felt members may, however, be pre viously saturated before inserting in the reservoir. For coating or impregnating the thread 13, this thread is led through the orifices 22 and 23 by suitably threading the same. The thread is positioned between the layers of felt 21 and 27 so that contact will apply.

the lubricant as the thread is fed through the orifices. The device previously described may be used as an applicator of the lubricant to the thread. It is preferred, however, that it simultaneously act as a thread tensioning device as well as a lubricant applicator. For this purpose the pressure plate 28 may be urged upon the layers of felt 2'1 and 27 by turning the screw member in accordance with the desired tension upon the thread. Thus, in the combination as shown in Figure 1, the tensioning member 14; as well as the applicator device may be suitably adjusted to properly tension the pressure upon the thread for sewing operations.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 2 and 3, in order to facilitate the passage of the thread through the orifices 22 and 23, this thread is attached to a portion of the endless guide thread 26 to a side of the chamber beyond the orifice 23. The guide thread is then drawn through the orifices 23 and 22, successively, drawing with it the thread 13 attached thereto. In this manner the thread 13 may be easily threaded through the applicator device. In this position the thread 13 may be again detached from the guide thread 26 and then passed through the tensioning member 15 to the remainder of the sewing machine, including the needle thereof.

In Figure 4 and 5 I show an embodiment which may be used to supplant the tensioning device 1d and 15, mounted upon the lug 16. For this purpose the tensioning device 14, comprising a partially threaded rod, helical spring and knurled nut of the conventional type and the plates 15, 15, mounted upon the lug 16, have interposed between the plates thereof a felt disk 17. To one side of the lug 16 I provide a reservoir 18 of the depth such as to cover the rims of the plates 15 and the felt disk 17 above mentioned.

In the assembly shown in Figure 1, the lug 16 and the tensioning assembly thereof may be replaced by the lug 16 of the character shown in Figures 4 and 5. In use, the thread 13 is disposed between a plate 15 and the felt disk 17 to ride over the rod, centrally mounting these members. Tensioning may be applied to the thread in the customary manner. I ith the disk 17' positioned as shown within the reservoir 18, a lubricant of the character above described is disposed within the reservoir. The lubricant, being one which is preferably normally fluid, will serve to saturate the felt disk 17 and maintain it moistened by capillary traction. Thus, in this mann r the assembly shown in Figures 4 and 5 serves simultanenously as a thread tensioning and lubricant applicator device.

In general, I have described a process whereby high speed of operation may be maintained to sew fur pelts or fur parts, either in the dry state or in a moistened condition, to render the hide of the fur supple, the thread being so treated as not to be ad versely affected by either the harshness of the skin when the same is dry or the chemicals of the hide when the same is moistened. I have still further provided a novel apparatus of simple construction and design for the treating of the thread in accordance with the method outlined.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a fur stitching or sewing device, a threading member comprising a receptacle, a felt wick disposed therein, a thread guide adapted to conduct a stitching thread adjacent said wick, a cover member for closing said receptacle and an endless guide thread adapted to draw the stitching thread through said guide without moving said cover memher.

2. In a fur stitching or sewing device, a threading member comprising a receptacle, an applicator disposed therein, a stitching thread guide adapted to conduct said thread adjacent said applicator, a cover member for closing said receptacle, and an endless guide thread adapted to draw the stitching thread through said guide without moving said cover and means to draw said applicator and stitching thread relatively to each other.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name this l ith day of May, 1927.

SAMUEL HEILIVEIL. 

